Tonguetied
by LiRicNut
Summary: Elizabeth discovers that Ric and Carly have slept together! Please review


Elizabeth had sensed some friction between Carly and Ric for weeks now. Up until a week ago she didn't know why. All she knew was that they were business partners on good terms and then all of a sudden, the club opens, and there was obviously something wrong. Last week, she finally found out the truth. She was walking home from work one evening and was taking her normal route through the docks when she saw Ric and Carly arguing. She quickly hid-not because she wanted to listen in on their conversation, but because she wasn't up for putting up with Carly that day. The things she heard from that argument had hit her so hard that she could have sworn that she had stopped breathing. Ric and Carly SLEPT together? Ric was BLACKMAILING Carly? She was convinced that she HAD stopped breathing when she realized that Ric had spotted her. All she remembers is darting away and everything after that was pretty much a blur. She thinks she heard Ric calling her name. She thinks that she had trouble seeing while she was running because of the tears that were building up in her eyes. She DOES know that that was the last time she had seen or heard from Ric. She's felt numb ever since.  
  
Elizabeth pulled her knees up to her chin and rested her feet on the park bench. She sighed as she continued to blankly stare into space. She requested for some time off work and has been spending the past couple of days at this park. (Just to give you an idea of which park I'm talking about, it was the park where Elizabeth had called Jason-forever ago---that one day and asked him if that could be the place they should meet without anyone knowing. Remember that?) Instead of going to her studio at night, she's been staying at her grandmother's house. She knew that Ric didn't know where the park or her grandmother's house was. She felt like she needed to hide out for awhile to sort out her thoughts and feelings. She knew there was something mysterious about Ric, with the way he would do anything to impress Sonny. She knew that his determination to be a part of Sonny's business was a red flag for her to walk away before anything started between her and Ric. She hardly knew anything about this man, but the things that she DID know about him were what drew her in. There was his charisma.confidence.smart remarks.musical talent, and of course.his gentleness. But it was the mystery surrounding him that couldn't keep her away. Little did she know that his "mystery" would blow up in her face and show what kind of guy he really was: a player and a blackmailer.  
  
"A-hem."  
  
Elizabeth turned around and saw Ric standing at the top of the park steps. She coldly looked at him, then turned away. She wasn't ready to be found yet.  
  
Ric knew that it was obvious that she was in no mood to talk to him. He had spent the first couple of days of the week trying to remain calm and letting Elizabeth have her space. But, he realized that he was too concerned about her to just sit and wait. So he had spent the last couple of days looking for her. "Lucky told me that you might be here." He looked hopefully towards Elizabeth and waited for a response, but she continued to look away.  
  
He walked down the steps towards her, but saw her clutch her knees even tighter. He knew to respect her space, so he stopped. He scratched his head and paused. What was he doing here? He was in Port Charles for business reasons. He had things to do. Standing in the middle of a park feeling one inch tall wasn't a part of his agenda. Then, why couldn't he just walk away from this and go on with his plans? The awkward silence was killing him. For once, Ric Lansing didn't know how to get himself out of a situation. .So he did the first thing that came to mind. He rambled:  
  
"You know, ever since I moved to Port Charles, I've always started my day with a cup of coffee at Kelly's. Naturally, you would assume that I was like all those other high-strung workaholics who couldn't imagine going through their day without their morning coffee. At least, that's the type of person I thought I was.until I realized this week that it wasn't the coffee that has kept me on the go to start my day." Ric paused and took a deep breath. "It's been you."  
  
Ric saw Elizabeth's head shift to one side. Even though she wasn't looking at him, he knew she was listening. So he just kept going. "I realized that the sight of you every morning is all I need to get my day started. The sight of you flipping over the "open" sign in Kelly's front window as I walk down the stairs. The way you can smile at me and pour my coffee at the same time without looking down-"  
  
"Don't worry," Elizabeth interrupted coldly, as she turned her head to look at him. "I haven't quit my job. I can pour your coffee next week. If you want, I can even tell Courtney and Penny when to flip over the "open" sign and how to pour your coffee."  
  
"No, that's not what I-"  
  
"Why are you here, Ric?" Elizabeth snapped. "To talk about coffee and complain about Kelly's service?" She finished her smart remark and turned away from him again. She couldn't bear to look at him. She didn't want him to see any expressions on her face. One expression can say so much. Ric knew her so well that she knew he could easily read into her. She wasn't about to let that happen.  
  
Ric rested his hands on the hand railing next to the steps and slightly leaned against it. "I had to see you," he replied. He nervously looked down, then back up again. "I miss you." He said it so gently at almost a whisper that it calmed the intensity of their conversation.  
  
Elizabeth looked up and sighed to keep any tears from forming. How do you respond to such a gentle remark? She continued to face away from Ric and say nothing.  
  
Ric took Elizabeth's silence as an "okay" to keep talking. She didn't ask him to leave yet. He felt like he needed to get as much out while he still can. "I miss hearing your laugh. I miss the spark that lights up in your eyes when you catch me looking at you. I miss holding your cute, little hands to keep them warm after an afternoon out in the snow. I miss your wit and your challenging remarks. I even miss having simple conversations with you.about nothing! .I also miss when we're not talking at all. Where we just look at each other and enjoy each other's company." He smiled as he continued. "I.I miss every opportunity where I get to just sit back and enjoy being near you..where I can memorize and adore every curve of your face...stare endlessly in your eyes and wonder what you're thinking..and feel completely blown away when I see you smile at me. I miss all of those things. .I miss.you." Ric paused for a moment to catch his breath. Did she hear what he just said? Was he really saying these things? .Out loud?  
  
Elizabeth WAS listening. Her heart was racing as she wrapped herself in Ric's words. But she didn't know what to do. "Ric-" she said weakly. She paused to clear her throat. "Ric.everything you said was." She stopped and sighed to collect herself. She wasn't about to let her guard down. "I don't know what to believe anymore," she said boldly. "How can I know that what you say is even the truth? I heard what happened between you and Carly. How do I know that I'm not a part of this 'plan' you have at Port Charles as a move against Sonny?"  
  
Ric shook his head. "Believe me, you were never a part of my plans here. I never expected to come here and meet someone like you." He paused for a second. "Look, I didn't sleep with Carly." Elizabeth was definitely listening now. She almost fell off the park bench, but instead, she appeared calm and let Ric finish. "Please believe me with that. However, I am making her think that we did and I am blackmailing her. That, in itself, is a very long story that we don't have to get into. Yes, this is all about my plans with Sonny. And with that said, that's all I can tell you."  
  
Elizabeth was frustrated again. She hated it when Ric would give her enough information to make her curious but still keep her in the dark. "You came to Port Charles for Sonny. You have this agenda here, so don't let me stand in your way. Why don't you finish the job you were sent here to do? Then you can finally leave this place!"  
  
"Yes.Sonny is the reason why I came to Port Charles," Ric said calmly as he crossed his arms. "But you are the reason why I don't want to leave."  
  
Wow. That completely took her off guard. Elizabeth turned her head and finally looked at Ric. She noticed that he had walked down the steps and was only a few feet away from her.  
  
"Elizabeth." Ric said gently.  
  
Elizabeth realized that she had given in. That's the first time in this entire conversation where he said her name. She didn't realize how much she missed hearing his voice say her name until now. And the way he said it? It was too hard to look away from him again.  
  
Ric saw her eyes soften up and he knew it was safe for him to sit next to her. He slowly sat next to her and took her tiny hands in his. He was so relieved to finally touch her that he almost forgot what was he was going to say next. He got even more nervous when he looked up and saw Elizabeth looking at him.waiting for his next words. He gave a nervous laugh. "You know, before I came here, I actually rehearsed what I was going to say when I saw you. I can't remember the last time I had to practice what I have to say to someone that wasn't part of a jury. And, of course, everything I wanted to say didn't come out at all the way I had planned. I just wanted to tell you that I didn't sleep with Carly and that I wanted everything to be okay between us. But instead.I started to ramble about coffee and how I'm a hopeless sucker for you." Elizabeth smiled and he laughed nervously again before continuing. "It has been a while since I found someone who I can be completely comfortable with and a nervous wreck at the same time. I've been in this comfort zone of always knowing exactly what to say and do in any situation, and I've been so used to being consumed with myself and my work. But when you came into my life, this new wave of vulnerability has come over me that I don't know what to do about it. It scares me to death, but at the same time, I don't want it to go away either. When I told you that I didn't want to risk losing you before we even got started, I meant it. It's been a long time since I've felt this way about anyone."  
  
Elizabeth smiled again and curiously tilted her head. "Felt WHAT way about anyone?"  
  
"Well, uh." Ric started to feel a little flushed, and he realized at that moment how much he truly cared about this person. As he sat there completely tongue-tied, he thought about the real agenda he had in Port Charles and then his personal feelings for Elizabeth. 'Boy, this is really going to complicate things,' he thought to himself. 


End file.
